1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus for executing image processing in correspondence with the portrait and landscape types.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a copying machine that recognizes characters in an image of the read original in four directions, and determines the direction of the image in accordance with the recognition result has been proposed. The copying machine rotates the original image in accordance with the determination result of direction of the image, and forms the rotated image on a sheet.
Originals include a portrait type original whose length is larger than its width, and a landscape type original whose width is larger than its length. Assume that originals including both the portrait and landscape types are to be copied by the copying machine. For example, if the directions of images are adjusted in one direction, the copied sheets are exhausted as a cross-shaped stack of sheets. On the other hand, when the directions of the copied sheets are adjusted in one direction, since the directions of images do not agree with each other, the direction of images of one type cannot be determined.
On the other hand, a copying machine has a function of copying a plurality of originals while laying out their images on a single sheet. This function lays out, e.g., four originals images in the order of upper left, upper right, lower left, and lower right positions on a sheet. If such function is executed for originals including both portrait and landscape type originals, the images of these types are laid out in different directions. In this case, whether a user reads such copies based on either type of originals differs depending on personal differences. That is, if a user, who reads copies based on the landscape type, reads copied sheets laid out based on the landscape type, he or she may read texts in a wrong order.